Something I initially expected to be a fun little novelty, Spell Bubble absolutely blew me away and ended up being one of my favorite games of 2020. It's absolutely addicting fusion of vs puzzle gameplay with rhythm mechanics, while initially seeming like two un-meldable attributes, actually lend perfectly to one another and make a fantastic and intense game of back and forth to absolutely phenomenal fucking music.

Another thing I didn't expect to really enjoy? The story mode. The portrayals of the characters within this game are genuinely amazing and feel very at home with the series at large, it feels like a game that ZUN himself would've wrote. It's an overall incredibly small stakes narrative, just a what if scenario where the Gensokyo gets a bit too wrapped up in a competition, but it leads to really fun hijinks and great character interactions.

I have to emphasize that this soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal, as expected for a rhythm game, but even then it blew me away. I never would've imagined a rap remix of Satori Maiden would become one of my favorite renditions of the track, but here we are.

This is also the one game I've definitely spent the most money on, having bought nearly all its DLC and even a second copy for my girlfriend to play at home on her own.

Now, it's time for me to talk about the only 2 points that I feel could detract from the game. Here's the big one, it doesn't have online. That alone means unless you're a Touhou fan, and unless you have at least ONE person in your life who you could play it with often enough, this game might not be worth it unless you like booting up rhythm games often for a little fun (I'm lucky in that my girlfriend adores this game, so we play it quite often). The 2nd point being that, the game is relatively steep price wise, being a nearly full priced title with a shitload of not-cheap DLC. While it was very worth the price tag for me, your mileage on this game entirely depends on if you can see yourself playing it often or not. if so, absolutely get it because its one of the best rhythm games, and one of the best vs puzzle games on the market right now.

I wanna write something wordier and more complex than this, but I just really fuckin' love this game, y'know? Just sheer bliss that's lasted me far longer than its relatively brief story modes might suggest it ever would. I bought this game when I was going through some very, very difficult stuff that threatened to upend much of my life, and throughout all of it, Touhou Spell Bubble was always something I could dip into to feel better in no time at all. As an example of just how much games can fill our lives with joy and warmth, there are few that I think of more immediately than this. It's been months since I grabbed it and I still keep dipping into it for hours at a time.

The music choices here are so damn good and cool. The rhythm/puzzle combo gameplay is incredibly satisfying, easy to grasp, and has a ton of room for player growth. The $55 price is a steep barrier to entry for many, but if that's something you're willing to push past, you'll scarcely find a more immediately satisfying experience than this. I even love the janky localization that, if nothing else, captures Marisa and Cirno's dipshit energies perfectly.

Oh, and the characters counting along to the beat during combos is one of the best ideas ever. Just immediate free seratonin. I love it. Perfect game.

Ambulating baked goods guy was right. Puzzle Bobble with rhythm game elements and Touhou remixes. Genius idea. The single player is really fun. ZUNTATA went crazy on their Necrofantasia mix. Playing it with your friends is the best part, especially if you beat them Parsec'ing Ryujinx with 10 frames of input lag and stick drift. They should make one with Armored Core tracks next. I do wish there was some way to sort by original tracks, like based off the original song titles or even the original games.

This game is betrayed by very steep price, Switch exclusivity and no online capabilities, but at its core this is one of the best VS puzzlers out there, not just Touhou games. The learning curve is pleasant, mechanics are very creative and great kinesthetics makes executing large rhythm combos hit brain with trucksloads of serotonin. There's a certain rubberband quality to the game's flow which makes battles very dramatic, and I see this as an aspect that should be ensued by all great puzzlers.

What I didn't expect is how cool the story is? There's no high stakes in play or any hugely dramatic events, but it nicely explores the concept of "what if Gensokyo was engulfed in competition fad" and makes Touhou characters go through some fun and heartfelt interactions without turning them into rote memes and stereotypes. There's even little perspective play as you go through Marisa and Reimu routes and see their sides to interactions that the other character didn't explore. It's simple, but rad, exactly the type of story I wish fangames told more often.

Still, this is not an affordable game with very niche appeal that you can't even play online, and on this matter I cannot recommend it to everyone. It pushed all the right buttons for me though.